COVID-19 update: Deaths reported in Wyandotte, Johnson counties; testing offered
Both Wyandotte and Johnson counties in Kansas each reported the death of another person related to COVID-19 Wednesday, according statistics from local health officials.
Wyandotte County, which has 458 confirmed cases, has seen 45 COVID-19 related deaths.
Meanwhile, Johnson County’s has seen a total of 36 deaths so far. The number of confirmed cases in Johnson County was just shy of 400 as of Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile across Kansas, the number of people killed by the disease rose to 110, up three from Tuesday. The number of people who tested positive for the coronavirus rose by 186, bringing the state’s total to 2,211 cases, according to statistics released by state health officials.
Of 1,816 cases where the state knew whether or not a person had been hospitalized, there have been 432 people hospitalized. That comes to about 24 percent of the cases where hospitalization status was known.
Independence pulls plug on pool season
Memorial Day weekend, which typically is the start of the pool season in Kansas City area, is fast approaching and parks and recreation officials are discussing whether they can open.
Officials in Independence have already decided to start looking at next year for the city’s Adventure Oasis Water Park.
“Closed — see you 2021 season,” says a message on the park’s website.
Although chlorinated pools are safe, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mayor Eileen Weir said uncertainty over how long stay-at-home orders would last had made it clear that the park wouldn’t open as scheduled.
Add to that the financial hit the city’s budget has taken during the pandemic, the city “just can’t afford” to hire the seasonal employees it takes to run the park, she said.
“So as this started to look like it was going to continue for a longer period of time than maybe what we had originally anticipated, we just made the decision that we would not open at all for the season,” said Weir, who refers to this as a “tough decision” in an announcement on the water park’s website.
Other cities are still considering whether and when to open their pools.
Overland Park’s farmers market opens Saturday
Shoppers will be restricted to their cars when Overland Park opens its farmers market this weekend.
This is the city’s second attempt at opening the market. Earlier this month, the city decided to postpone the season opening of the farmers market after several residents complained that the event could lead to the spread of the coronavirus.
This time, the city has decided open the season as a drive-thru, with minimal to no-contact shopping, officials said. The market will open form 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Overland Park Convention Center parking lot, near College Boulevard and Lamar.
Shoppers will follow a one-way path through the parking lot. Customers, who must remain in their vehicles, will not be able to skip the line to reach specific vendors.
Farmers markets, like grocery stores, are considered essential operations under metrowide stay-at-home orders. The City Market downtown and Brookside Farmers Market never closed. But many Johnson County cities have postponed their markets as the coronavirus outbreak continues.
Testing for coronavirus offered this week in KC, Wyandotte County
Truman Medical Centers and the Wyandotte County Public Health Department have announced they are offering on-site coronavirus testing at various locations this week.
In Wyandotte County, drive-up or walk-up testing is available from 1 to 5 p.m. through Friday at the Unified Government’s health office at 619 Ann Street in Kansas City, Kansas.
The free tests will be administered to Wyandotte County residents who have had symptoms in the last 48 hours. No appointment is needed.
In Kansas City, Truman Medical Center has partnered with several churches in the urban core and recently launched pop-up test clinics. On-site testing began last week for people with coronavirus symptoms and will continue through Friday.
The tests are free to people without insurance. No co-pay be charged to those with insurance. For those with insurance, Truman Medical Center will bill those insurance companies later.
Persons will need to call 816-404-CARE (2273) to speak with a nurse who will discuss any symptoms and provide the best location to receive the testing, said Leslie Carto, a spokeswoman for Truman Medical Centers.
They do not have to be prior patients at Truman Medical Center to be tested.
On Wednesday, an on-site clinic will be open from noon to 4 p.m. in the parking lot at St. James United Methodist Church, 5540 Wayne Avenue.
A pop-up clinic will be held Friday at Second Baptist Church at 39th Street and Askew Avenue from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Drive-through testing is available at the Truman Medical Center locations at the Hospital Hill site, 23rd and Holmes streets and Lakewood, 7900 Lee’s Summit Road, Kansas City, Carto said.
Number of COVID-19 deaths from Riverbend in KCK rises to 25
Another resident from the Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation center has died from COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths to 25, local health officials announced Tuesday.
There have been 116 coronavirus cases linked to the outbreak at the rehabilitation and nursing facility, according to statistics provided by the Unified Government Public Health Department.
Ninety-two residents, including eight who are hospitalized, and 24 staff members have tested positive.
Riverbend leaders first notified the health department on April 1 that one resident and one employee had tested positive for COVID-19. Since then, the facility has become the site of the largest COVID-19 outbreak in Kansas.
